A McCreachery Card Theory

oldjudge · #1 10-22-2013, 01:23 PM

Good theory Jamie; I like that. BTW, here is the only other card with this Deacon White image, the proof used to create the N172. As far as I know, both the N172 and the proof are unique.

Eric72 · #2 10-22-2013, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Good theory Jamie; I like that. BTW, here is the only other card with this Deacon White image, the proof used to create the N172. As far as I know, both the N172 and the proof are unique.

Old Judge,

Thank you very much for sharing that image. I am sure that other members also truly appreciate it.

Seeing as though he was inducted into the HOF this summer, Deacon White's baseball career has been viewed again, in a positive light. I, for one, think his inclusion is warranted.

Best Regards,

Eric

Joe_G. · #3 10-22-2013, 09:16 PM

Thanks for the bump Jamie, I do find it interesting although I would still classify it as a theory. But much of what we write about the set is just that.

Great cabinet Jay. I do find it somewhat interesting that out of the 9 proofs that have surfaced (which account for all 9 N172 poses Deacon enjoys), the portrait is the only one in which his name is not written on the negative. "White 3d B., Detroit." appears on all other 8 negatives/photos.

RCMcKenzie · #4 10-22-2013, 10:00 PM

Great cabinet, Jay.

Jaime, without checking to see if I'm contradicting myself, my problem with your theory is that the makers of the riddle would have to have intentionally created one of the most obscure inside jokes of all time. It would have taken 120 years and sabr-esque research to unveil their joke on a single tobacco insert, that appears to have been discontinued after a single printing.

I remember making a Rodney Dangerfield reference from 'Easy Money', as he played a photographer in that movie.

oldjudge · #5 10-23-2013, 12:40 AM

Joe--as always, an excellent observation. Do you think that because there was no name on the proof that a Goodwin employee screwed up the name on the N172, or are you of the mind that it was a joke?

Joe_G. · #6 10-23-2013, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Joe--as always, an excellent observation. Do you think that because there was no name on the proof that a Goodwin employee screwed up the name on the N172, or are you of the mind that it was a joke?

Jay, just making an observation that might help explain how the wrong name wound up on the N172, riddle or not; there may have been some confusion (merely another theory). We see many mistakes within the N172 set that should have been avoided, even when names were present on the negative.

I do believe the card makers did know who the portrait was however. Deacon was very recognizable figure. I do think they were poking fun at him by calling him a manager. As for the riddle in the name, there is merit in Jamie�s theory, it is quite possible the name plate was a joke on a couple levels . . ., son of God/child, better suited to be a Manager than player, etc. But Goodwin may have thought better of the card and stopped producing it after a very short run (ie may have stopped when Goodwin & Co. management realized what they were printing).

I will say however that Deacon's religious beliefs were not "wacky". He was one of many bible following citizens at the time although not many could be found in the baseball ranks (teammate Lady Baldwin being an exception, another bible quoting and following player). Deacon was generally looked up to, not made fun of. There was a great deal of respect for him, he was recognized as perhaps the greatest player of the 1870s (best catcher in a decade were catching was the single most important position) and he wasn't too shabby at 3rd base either (his "second" career during the 1880s). Most in the baseball world, players and press alike, found his beliefs and morals refreshing (not wacky), role model like.

cyseymour · #7 10-23-2013, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

Jaime, without checking to see if I'm contradicting myself, my problem with your theory is that the makers of the riddle would have to have intentionally created one of the most obscure inside jokes of all time. It would have taken 120 years and sabr-esque research to unveil their joke on a single tobacco insert, that appears to have been discontinued after a single printing.

Rodney Dangerfield references aside, Rob you make a decent point.

Jay, thanks for sharing the stunning cabinet of Deacon White, and I agree that Joe makes an excellent observation about Deacon's name/team not being on this card.

As much as I would like to think that it's a joke, because I love the story of it being a joke, that does suggest that, once again, I may be mistaken that the card is a joke. Definitely the OJ book got it in my mind that the card was a joke, but staring the cold reality in the face, this could very well just be perhaps the oldest and rarest error card.

Since White's name wasn't enscrolled on the cabinet, that does suggest to me a case of mistaken identity. Couple that with the very small print run (one card in existence) and that is another characteristic of an error card. Even modern error cards often have very low print runs, so the McGreachery does fit in that category of an error card just in the behavior of the card.

So I would say that, in the plain light of day, Rob must be correct that this was not intended as a joke. That said, as wild as my theories were, they did at the very least created the conversation needed to observe certain things about the card that could help us come to a logical conclusion, such as the spelling of the name and characteristics of the cabinet.

I really would have liked the card to have been a joke. But I am afraid that in spite of my logic above, the card may not have been a joke after all. But it is still truly a spectacular card, and the mother of all error cards.

cyseymour · #8 10-23-2013, 07:02 AM

Okay, I didn't see Joe's post #116 before I made my post #117. Let me just say that we'll probably never know. I guess that's the best way to put it.

As far as White's religious beliefs go, from what I've read, White believed the world was flat, and tried to convince any who would listen that the world was flat. This was a very strange belief for 1887. Per the OJ book, White was one of the first catchers to stand directly behind home plate, and since it was the 1870's, that was almost certainly without any headgear. It is likely that because of this, he was suffering from dementia, as was sadly common with many 19th century catchers.

This doesn't mean he wasn't respected as a human being and player, but his religious beliefs were way outside the norm. It was a time period where people thought religion was dead - that science was going to shed light on the world and that rational, scientific perspective would assume dominance over the world. We know now that, for better or worse, than never fully happened.

cyseymour · #9 10-23-2013, 07:15 AM

Let me also say that, another factor is that every team seems to have a photo of their manager, and Indy didn't have a manager. Since the White card was unmarked, perhaps someone assumed that it was the manager card for Indy since their was no Indy manager card, not realizing that Indy didn't have a manager, and assuming White was the manager since he is old and is wearing formal clothing in the photo. Then the mistake was quickly realized and the card was pulled. That doesn't fully explain how the name McGreachery got on there, but it may have been associated with McGeachy, just a corruption. If the person didn't recognize who Deacon White was, then clearly they could have screwed up the spelling of McGeachy as well. It may have been done by an individual in the studio who was not that knowledgeable of baseball. The person may have asked the name of the Indy manager, been told it was McGeachy, mispelled it as McGeachery and thought White was McGeachy. Then the mistake was found and the card was quickly pulled. That might be the most logical explanation for the entire thing.

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